Larchmont

Let me be upfront. I'm born and raised in Larchmont - so forgive my slight bias. Growing up in the Manor, Larchmont to me as a kid was all about parks, sports, riding bikes to friend's houses and having fun. Larchmont has a ton of playgrounds, ball fields and beaches. What else could a kid want? All four elementary schools come together in junior high and for me that meant new friends, more fun. Schools are great. NYC was close enough that we could hop the train in high school to check out the big city - and still be home in 30 minutes by train.

I moved to the City after college for 10 years. When it came time to decide where my new wife and I should live - and she swore she would never leave the city - I said, "honey, it's a 1,000 sq ft co op in the upper, uppper west side, or....just come and look at a house in Larchmont." Here we are 12 years later - raising two girls, 3 and 6 and three quarters (she's sensitive about that). Good restaurants, great location, same awesome school, parks and beaches. What's not to love?

Larchmont, a village of 6,500 in the town of Mamaroneck, occupies one square mile along the shore of the Long Island Sound. Like many of Westchester’s communities, Larchmont started out as a vacation destination in the 1800s, with wealthy visitors staying in waterfront cottages and grand hotels, until the advent of the automobile made it possible to travel further from the city.

The town that was a vacation destination for the wealthy evolved into an upscale year-round suburb. Today, Larchmont is one of Westchester’s priciest towns. In addition to the high cost of real estate, the village has no industry, leading to high property taxes. The relatively brief commute to Manhattan via the Metro-North New Haven line adds to Larchmont’s appeal.

Boston Post Road, so named because it was an early route to the Massachusetts city, is the main road and cuts almost exactly through the middle of the village. Larchmont has great shopping, with unique shops and lots of variety. Most stores are located on Boston Post Road and Palmer Avenue. There are also many restaurants and many cuisines to choose from, including French, Italian, Mediterranean and New American.

The Mamaroneck Union Free School District enrolls students from Larchmont. The district is ethnically and economically diverse, though the poverty rate is low. There are a total of 5,000 students from two towns in four elementary schools, one middle school and one high school. Elementary students in Larchmont attend the Chatsworth Avenue School, which opened in 1902 as a two-room schoolhouse. Today, Chatsworth has an enrollment of 600. On state exams, students at the school do exceptionally well, with only 1 to 2 percent failing to meet state standards. The middle school and high school also get good overall results.

The village has several parks, including Manor Park, which is privately owned but open to the public. It’s located on the Sound, and though small, offers an abundance of beautiful scenery. There is a residents-only beach on the property. Flint Park, the village’s largest, is the location for most recreation activities as well as Flint Park Summer Concert Series, which takes place on Thursday evenings in July.

Most of Larchmont’s housing inventory is priced at or above the million-dollar mark. There are many older Tudors, along with ranches and colonials, generally priced above a half-million dollars. There are co-op apartments, with a good number for sale at any given time, but they too are not inexpensive, costing about the same as houses in upper Westchester or Putnam. If you have a large budget, you will likely be pleased with what Larchmont has to offer.

When one tries to picture a Westchester town that’s built for the county’s upper and middle-class citizens, Larchmont is one that comes to mind. It’s one of the most expensive places in Westchester, complete with a town beach that borders the Long Island Sound.

You’ll have to be earning a high income to live here, as housing prices range around $747,000 or higher. It’s not very diverse (except for the curious French-American population).

That being said, Larchmont does have some unique things to offer: it’s a beach town with its own movie theater (The Larchmont Playhouse, via Clearview Cinemas), where you can see all the latest hits (one of the films currently playing is “Hunger Games”). It’s very family-friendly, especially those with young kids; the schools are fantastic. (The Chartsworth Avenue Elementary School is hailed as one of Westchester's very best.) You can take your kids to five different parks---including Larchmont Manor, which is right on the Sound. They can join the Little League at Lorenzen Park or sleigh-ride in winter at nearby Flint Park. Take them to the Sound and teach them about saltwater ecology. You can also go ice-skating at Hommock’s Park and Ice Rink, also the location of the town pool. Shop for cookies decorated for any occasion at Cookies By Design in town, or go shopping for designer clothes at your own town’s Anne Taylor’s. During the day, your kids will thrive socially and academically at Discover Me Nursery School, Children Corner Day Care or the Prodigy Learning Center (you also have plenty more choices in nearby New Rochelle).

Larchmont is a fairly safe place to live (especially considering nearby New Rochelle in comparison). Houses are very lofty and huge, like its many Victorian and gothic-style homes. This is a pretty ritzy town, complete with yacht and swim clubs to boot. You have great views of the Sound and there’s plenty of places to eat and go out for a drink. You can expect several French Bistros, and Tequila Sunrise has excellent Mexican food. Depending on your mood, you can take your entire family to Cozi Restaurant for wonderful sandwiches and a relaxing atmosphere---and, for something entirely different, visit the Fuji Mountain Japanese restaurant for sushi. For older folk, there’s bars like Vintage 1891 or the Larchmont Tavern for a great night on the town (lots of other bar choices as well). Visit the Watercolor Cafe for a great meal and live jazz and folk music, or visit the Groove Performing Arts Center to take classes (great for young kids, but also folks of all ages). Also take your kids for a magical performance at the famous Emelin theater for the Performing Arts, where you’ll see a pleathera of artistic venues, ranging anywhere from plays to folk concerts to stand-up-comedy. Enroll your kids in the children’s theater there and they’ll have a wonderful time.

Larchmont has its own train station and is around approximately 22 miles away from Manhattan.

The Village of Larchmont is a part of the larger Town of Mamaroneck in Westchester County. Located on a beautiful setting on the Long Island Sound, Larchmont exemplifies the kind of waterside lifestyle one envisions from glamorous movies and books.

Larchmont is a unique combination of small town and urban sophistication. It is a place that attracts many professionals in the financial industry. There are some apartments and condos but by-and-large it is a traditional single-family home kind of neighborhood.

The schools fall under the Mamaroneck Union Free School District for the most part and this is district comes highly recommended. Given that Larchmont is very family oriented, means fairly heavy community involvement in the school activities. However, the exact border between the villages and the addresses and zip codes is a little bit of mystery to me, and I am told to many of the residents too! Suffice it to say, that by-and-large life in and around Larchmont and Mamaroneck is comparably luxurious.

Larchmont has a charming shopping area with many street-facing store fronts which are a pleasure to stroll by and browse. There is a nice mixture of chain stores and independents and shoppers can check out boutiques and antique stores along with more typical shopping in this area. Among some of the good restaurants here are Plates Restaurant, Espana Wine & Tapas Bar and Turquoise.

Larchmont homes are high-end even by Westchester standards, which are well above national average. The village also has steep property taxes as there is little commercial development to alleviate the burden of home owners. Despite these financial realities, Larchmont’s cache continues to grow! It is testament to the draw of the aura of this small town!

The picturesque village of Larchmont is definitely family-friendly with a small town communal feel. It is a very wealthy area, with sweeping homes and story book gingerbread Victorian’s, mostly near the water, costing a king’s ransom. However, on the other end of the spectrum, in the adorable village center, there are tall apartment buildings with more affordable apartment rentals that are in walking distance to the train station and shops.

The town holds family-friendly Bingo nights which include dinner for a small fee. There is a senior center minutes away in Mamaroneck with wonderful programs for the senior crowd. The Mamaroneck harbor is nearby as well and has a playground, a small beach, swing chairs by the water and a large tennis center that offers group and private lessons. The Emelin Theatre is also within short driving range and hosts an amazing array of dance troupes, plays, concerts and films. The Watercolor Café is a little gem of a live music venue with wonderful creative cuisine.

Chatsworth Avenue, Larchmont Avenue and the Larchmont section of the famous Boston Post Road have a multitude of interesting shops, boutiques, and eateries including a great wine store, a fabulous bakery, a chocolate shoppe, antique stores, a florist, a couple of coffee shops, a jewelry store, and a gallery. There is even a little old-fashioned looking movie theatre in town which shows great flicks. There is also a terrific Guitar Center and a nearby Stop and Shop.

Restaurants in the area include Lusardis, the ever popular Plates and Chat 19, the charming Encore Bistro, Tequila Sunrise and the beloved family-friendly local Italian institution, Augies.

Larchmont is pretty safe and the crime index is far under the national and New York State average.

Larchmont is part of the Mamaroneck Union Free School District which is very good. The median SAT score is 1720 and it is reported that 95% of its high school students do go on to college.

Larchmont is 88% White, 6% Hispanic, 2.5% Asian and 1% Black.

The median income is $155,925. The median home value is $749,358 and the median rental rate is $1,679.

The population of Larchmont is 5,864with the median age being 38.

Bounded by Mamaroneck, Larchmont is a lovely town in Westchester County; it has diverse and well maintained housing options located on beautiful tree-lined streets. There are different types of private homes and condos, but rental homes are pretty hard to come by in this town. The population includes plenty of young professionals with families. It is a very family oriented community, where you will see a lot of parents with strollers or playing with their kids. While the prices are relatively affordable (particularly for the rental apartments that are located over stores and other businesses), the cost of living in Larchmont is NOT cheap. Waterfront properties are incredibly expensive, and many of Larchmont’s homeowners participate in owners’ associations that charge membership dues to cover the expenses of maintaining communal areas, etc. There are plenty of recreational activities in Larchmont; the parks are great and have facilities for many different types of sports. Chatsworth Avenue, Larchmont Avenue, and Boston Post Road are some of the main roads. You can find very cute shops and restaurants along those roads. The school system in Larchmont is excellent and there is a thriving arts community. Many of the residents enjoy performances at the Emelin Theater.

Real estate prices are quite high in Larchmont and can top a million dollars for a single family home. The neighborhood is very safe and close knit. Its location on the Long Island Sound make it a very desirable place to live with its beautiful views and harbor. The Horseshoe Harbor Yacht club is popular in the area and many people come to dock their boat here. Larchmont Manor Park is also located along the shoreline and is open to the public. It's about 12 acres with paths and benches to enjoy the views.

Fountain Square is right next to Larchmont Manor Park and is a beautiful place to walk through. There's a mermaid fountain at its center. I always found it to be a strange interpretation, she is very muscular, but it goes well the the watery backdrop.

Everything is well maintained and clean. The community really cares about the upkeep of their town. There are well placed benches everywhere and little spots of serenity that you can't help but stopping to relax.

The public school system is very good. The Mamaroneck Schools Foundation contributes funding to the schools to make sure the quality of education is at a high standard.

Even though it seems like it would be a pretentious area with its yacht club and expertly manicured lawns the people are very friendly and down to earth.